UK-wide, Action Fraud has received over 200 reports about such incidents since September - with victims losing at least £400,000.

Britons are being urged to be on their guard after a fraudster claiming to be from Amazon swindled two people out of £15,000. The telephone scam sees victims receive an unsolicited call with a pre-recorded message, where they are invited to connect to an operator to talk about their Prime membership. After a long conversation, they are then asked to reconnect to the phone call through their computer and download software called Team Viewer, which allows them to share their desktop.

From here, the victim is asked to log into their online bank to check whether they have received a refund from Amazon. A distraction technique is then deployed to divert their attention away from the screen - enabling the fraudster to quickly transfer funds out of the victim's bank account and even apply for loans.

Avon and Somerset Police said it has recently received reports of three incidents in the area, with two of the victims losing a combined total of almost £15,000. Avon and Somerset Police warned: "Neither the police nor the banks will ask you for banking details or PIN numbers on the phone. Similarly, they would never send a so-called 'courier' to collect bank cards or money.

Source: Sky Business